Mail-box.



N0.v7 2.12.s. v PATBNTBD 0CT.11 ,1904.

' A. M. BURNHAM.

MAIL BOX.

APPLIOATION' FILED APR. 22, 1902. RENEWED MAR. 12. 1904.

.K-O MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES 4 I (7 INVENTOR am. W

.No. 772,128. PATENTED OCT. 11, 1904.

A. M. BURNHAM.

MAIL BOX. I

I APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1902. RENEWED MAR. 12. 1904. N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTOR Attorney PATENTED OCT. 11, 19 04.

A. M. BURNHAM.

' MAIL'BOX.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 22, 1902. RENEWED MAR. 12. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

Iii-5:5:

1N VEN T 0k Allarney WITNbTSSES UNITED STATES Patented October 11, 1904.-

PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR M. BURNHAM, OF GARDINER, MAINE, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO BURNHAM MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MAIL-Box.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,128, dated October 11, 1904.

Application filed April 22, 1902. Renewed March 12, 1904. Serial No- 197,886- (No model.)

Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and TO use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in mail-boxes, and more particularly to an im-' proved private mail-box for rural delivery, an object of the invention being to provide an I improved mail-box which will absolutely exclude rain and snow and prevent possibility of becoming frozen up by an accumulation of ice thereon,

A further object is to provide an improved 0 mail-box which will only look when. mail is in the box and which will automatically display a signal when mail is deposited in the box and the latter closed.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front view, partly in section, showing the box open. Fig. 2 is a top view showing the cover in section. Fig. 3 is a view in crosssection, showing the box open. similar view with the box closed. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing a mail-parcel in the box. Fig. 6 is a front elevation showing the box closed andsignal set. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view in section, illustrating the signal; and Fig. 8 is anenlarged sectional 4 view of the hinge connection.

1 represents a post or other support to which a standard 2 is secured by bolts or otherwise and is preferably made integral with the receptacle 3, which latter is preferably of the general rectangular shape shown and depressed at its central portion, forming a chamber 1 for a purpose which will herein- Fig. 4: is a after appear. Over this receptacle 3 my improved cover 5 is located and is of a general semicylindrical shape flared outward at its lower edge at both sides and ends, and as the cover envelops the receptacle on all sides and flares outward throughout its lower edge rain or snow is deflected away from the receptacle and any formation of ice on the cover cannot lock the cover and receptacle together to Iionterfere with the perfect operation of the In the receptacle 3, at its rear and near its upper edge, a horizontal tube 6 is located and revolubly supported at'its ends on short rods 7, which are screwed into threaded bosses 8 in the cover some distance from the lower edge thereof and pass through the receptacle 3 and into the ends of tube 6 and serve as hinge-pins for the cover and as journals for the tube. 1

A removable slotted plate 8 is employed to cover chamber 4 and form a support for mailmatter placed in the box, and in this chains:

ber an approximately horizontal trip-rod 9 is located and secured at one end by means of a' bracket 10 and nut 11 on the end of a short spindle 12. This spindle 12 is supported in bearings in a pocket 13 in receptacle 8 and pro jects into a lock-casing 14, countersunk into the front of said receptacle. On this spindle 12 in lock-casing 14 a catch 15 is secured and has a spring 16 hearing thereagainst to move the catch toits locking position to engage a notched bolt 17 secured to the inner face of cover 5 and adapted to project into the lock-casing through an opening in the top thereof and into the path of catch 15 and securely lock the cover over the receptacle when mail is in the box, as will now be described.

This catch is of course to be released by a suitable key when the cover is locked.

The tube 6 is provided throughout its length with a series of curved fingers or wires 18, adapted (when no mail is in the box to interfere with the passage of the fingers) to pass through the slotted plate 8 and into chamber 4 and depress trip-rod 9, thereby moving catch out of the path of bolt 17 and preventing the cover from being locked. On the other hand, when mail is in the box, the movement of the fingers 18 will be obstructed, and they cannot depress the triprod, hence permitting the catch 15 to automatically lock the bolt 9 when the cover is dropped to its closed position.

On tube 6, near one end thereof, an arm 19 is secured, projects at right angles thereto, and is preferably of the general compound curve shown to be engaged by a lifting-bar 20, pivotally connected at one end to the end of receptacle 3 by a screw or other suitable means. A link 21 is pivotally connected at one end to the end of cover 5 and at its lower end to the lifting-bar 20 between the ends of the latter, while at the free end of the lifting-bar a flange or wide lug 22 is located and bears against one edge of curved arm 19, so that when the cover is raised the link 21 will elevate bar 20, and the lug 22 on the latter bearing against arm 19 will raise the same, turning tube 6 and elevating fingers 18, and it will be seen that owing to the peculiar curvature of the arm the greatest lifting is done When the cover begins to open, thereby preventing possibility'of mail-matter being thrown in on top of the fingers when the cover is but partially raised.

To the end of cover 5 and near the top thereof a flanged sleeve 23 is secured by rivets, as

- shown, and surrounds a journal 24, supported in a packing-ring 25, screwed into the outer end of the sleeve and projects at its inner end into the cover, where it has a crank-arm 26 secured thereon by means of a.nut screwed onto the inner end of the journal, and suitable stops 26 are provided in the cover to limit the turning movement of the crank-arm, journal, and signal. On this arm 26 a headed crank-pin 27 is located and mounted in an elongated slot in a link 28, which latter is pivotally connected at its lower end to arm 19 for a purpose which will.hereinafter appear.

On the outer end of journal 24 a counterweighted signal 31 is secured, and a coiled spring 29 surrounds the journal 24 in sleeve 23 and is secured at one end to the journal and at its other end to the sleeve to assist the counterweighted signal to assume a vertical position, or, in other words, a signaling position.

A coiled spring 30 is located on tube 6 and tends to throw the fingers to their lowest position, and shoulders 32 are secured in the ends of the cover to rest on the edge of the mail-receptacle and support the weight of the cover in its closed position.

The operation of my improvement is as follows: When no mail is in the box and cover 5 is moved to its closed position, the catch 15 cannot lock bolt 17 by reason of the fact that fingers 18 will operate trip-rod 9 and hold the catch out of its locking position. At the same time when the fingers 18 are free to pass through the slotted plate 8 into chamber 4 arm 19 will move link 28 far enough to pull crank-arm 26 downward, the tension of spring 30 being sufficient to overcome counterweight of signal 31 and spring 29 and pull the signal to a horizontal position, thus indicating that no mail is in the box. When, however, there is mail-matter in the box to interfere with the movement of fingers'18, the catch 15 is free to automatically lock bolt 17, (as above explained,) and link 28 is not moved far enough "t'o interfere with the crank-arm 26, thus permitting spring 29 and the counterweight of signal 31 to hold the latter in a vertical position. to indicate either to the carrier or owner that mail'is in the box.

It will thus be seen that with my improvements the box cannot be locked, nor can the signal be set when the box is empty, and that it will automatically lock and set thesignal when mail is placed in the box and the cover moved to its closed position.

Agreat many slight changes and alterations might be made in the general form and arrangement of parts described without departing from my invention, and hence I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is"

1. In a mail-box, the combination with a mail-receptacle,a cover therefor, and a revoluble tube located inside the cover, of short pins secured to the cover and extending through the sides of the receptacle and projecting into the ends of the revoluble tube and thereby serving as pivotal bearings for the cover and for the ends of the tube, substantially as set forth.

2. In a mail-box the combination with the cover and an outwardly-projecting tubular bearing secured thereto, of a shaft mounted in said tubular bearing, a spring encircling the shaft inside the bearing and adapted to rotate the shaft, and a crank attached to the inner end of the shaft, substantially as set forth.

3. In a mail-box, the combination with a signal and a spring adapted to retain it in its signaling position, of mechanism connected with and actuated by the cover for depressing the signal when no mail is in the receptacle, substantially as set forth.

4. In a mail-box, the combination with a receptacle for mail having a chamber below the same and a slotted plate over said chamber, of a cover for the receptacle, a bolt on said cover, a spring-pressed catch in the receptacle to lock the bolt, a trip-rod to operate said catch, projecting into the chan1ber,a revolubly-supported and spring-pressed tube in the receptacle,

fingers on said tube to move into the chamber and engage the trip-rod to hold the catch out of operation when no mail is in the box, a signal adapted to normally assume a position for signaling and a link operated by said tube to draw the signal to a horizontal or non-signaling position, when no mail is in the receptacle.

5. In a mail-box, the combination with a mail-receptacle and a cover hinged thereon, of a reVolubly-mounted and spring-pressed tube or rod in said receptacle, fingers thereon whose passage is adapted to be obstructed by mail-matterin the receptacle, a curved arm on said tube, a lifting-bar pivoted. at one end to the receptacle, a lug on the free end of the lifting-bar engaging the curved arm, a link connecting the lifting-bar and cover to compel the operation 01": the bar when the cover is raised.

6. In a mail-box, the combination with a mail-receptacle and a cover hinged thereto, of

a revolubly-mounted and spring-pressed tube in said receptacle, fingers thereon whose passage is obstructed by mail-matter in the receptacle, a curved arm on the tube, means operated by the cover to lift said arm and fingers when the cover is raised, a journal revolubly mounted in the cover and carrying a ARTHUR M. BURNHAM.

,Witnesses:

S. W. FOSTER, R. S. FERGUSON. 

